Climate change webinar presented for water utility personnel in Piedras Negras, Coahuila
Piedras Negras, Coahuila. - Today, the North American Development Bank (NADB) launched the first of five climate change webinar sessions for staff of the local water utility, Sistema Municipal de Agua y Saneamiento de Piedras Negras (SIMAS). The opening session was presided over by SIMAS General Manager Arturo Garza and NADB representatives.
The 40-hour course, “Climate Change and its Consequences: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided” is being offered by NADB using the massive open online course (MOOC) platform of the World Bank, and includes a workshop on estimating greenhouse gas emissions for projects in Mexico, as well as a visit with worldwide environmental experts.
“SIMAS is very grateful to NADB for all the support we have received for various initiatives, especially this avant-garde seminar that is beginning today,” stated Mr. Garza. “We made this course available to various sectors of our community and our state, so the participants include not only utility personnel, but also academics, entrepreneurs, housing developers and researchers in the region.”
Over the course of the five sessions, participants will learn about the negative impacts resulting from a likely 4°C warming of the planet, such as the risks to ecosystems, biodiversity and human health. The seminar also includes a climate analysis of the state and/or region where the webinar is being presented, so that participants can develop ideas for programs or projects aimed at climate change in their area.
The format of this virtual seminar, first launched by NADB in 2015, includes an on-site facilitator to foster greater interaction among the participants and is part of NADB’s efforts to offer training on environmental issues and institutional strengthening to a larger number of personnel from utilities, public agencies and the private sector in the U.S.-Mexico border region, where the Bank operates.
The program also includes an emissions workshop that is intended to raise awareness and educate participants on the benefits of water projects from an environmental perspective, by estimating the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted before and after the construction and operation of a water project.
Upon completing the entire webinar, participants will be able to receive a certificate of completion from the World Bank and another from NADB, if they obtain an overall score of 50% or higher on the evaluation.